Oil seal



- .April 20,1937. R J GHS 2,077,881

OIL SEAL Filed Feb. 18, 1955 Patented Apr. 2.0, 1937 J UNITED smilies; PATENT ortica I Mill-w, CII-imo, nl. I I Militante-framers, 19st, serial Normer- .a om. .(Ci; 2136511).

This invention relates to meansioi the' passage of oil from abearingalong aishaiiif The purpose of the invention is to provideime' proyeniez'its` in exible diaphragm seals, allow'- 5 ing for a wide range of material in the diaphragm to suit different conditions and permitting a metal to metal resilient contact at the sealing surface in an axial direction.

' The purposes of the invention are accomplished by means of a construction as illustrated in the drawing, wherein: a

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a. bearing and the improved seal associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a detail in section of the diaphragm retaining ring.

Fig. 3 is a detail partly in section showing the sealing ring, diaphragm 'anda guiding element f for the seal.

Fig. 4 is a detail in section showing the seal housing and ring engaging springs carried thereby. Fig. 5 is a side view partly in section of the construction modied to support a corrugated metal diaphragm instead of the non-metallic diaphragm used in the construction as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 shows sectional details'of separate parts oi' the construction appearing in Fig. 5.

Fig. 1 is a side view and partly in section oi the seal showing a further modiiication for use when the seal cushioning springs need not be assembled in the sealing unit. This view also showstby broken lines a bearing and its support associated with the seal.

Fig. 8 shows a. sectional view of the seal illustrated by Fig. '7 but with its clamping rings spaced from other elements of the seal.

A common practice in preventing oil from travelingV along a shaft from its bearings is the 40 use of sealing elements bearing radially upon the shaft and resiliently to compensate tor wear.

The sealing element is a flexible material such as leather. With the improved construction herein disclosed, a highly efficient seal is provided without any rubbing contact on the flexible element of the seal. This element may be leather treated fabric, metal or other material capable of flexing, but the actual contact between the seal and the bearing or a shoulder on a. shaft is-provided for by a solid metal ring, preferably bronze, to which the diaphragm is attached.

As illustrated in Figure l, thebronze ring I has a. trued-up surface 2 having an' annular y bearing on the side'of ball-race. 3. Ihese contacting surfaces are lapped or ground to iiltl toperiphery the diaphragm 9 is clamped between 1;

gather-asl closelyss possible sov as to form the seal=betwe`en the rotatingraee 3 carried by shaft t and the stationarysupport 5 for the bearing 6.

Thesealfhousing 'it tightly fits the inner surface 8 of bearing support 5 and a-exible diaphragm 9 extends between the seal housing 'l and the ring I. This exible ring-shaped diaphragm is clamped near its outer periphery against an inwardly extending shoulder or radial portion CII of the seal housing I by a metal ring It lwhich l() l is heldin place by rolling the edge II of the housing together ywith an axially extending portion of the outer margin of the diaphragm 9 against theouter edge of ring I Il. At its inner the sealing ring and guide element I2. The latter is a ring-shaped member but has the feet I3 bent outwardly at right angles thereto to lt guide slots It formed in the seal housing l. The edge I5 of the sealing ring is rolled over the in- 20 ner edge-of guide ring I2 to clamp it in place against the diaphragm and sealing-ring. The seal housing l carries posts IS for supporting compression springs I7 which bear between the seal housing and guide element I2, thereby holding the sealing ring i firmly into contact with the bearing ring 3.

The construction shown in Fig. 5 contains the same essential elements as the construction shown by Fig. 1, but thev forms of the elements 30 are somewhat changed to compactly support a corrugated metal diaphragm I8 extended between the sealing ring I9 and the seal housing 20.

A more compact disc form of the seal is illustrated by Figs. 7 and 8. The disc-like form of the entire seal unit is made possible by having the springs 2I, for forcing the seal against the inner. ring 22 of the bearing, supported in recesses 23 in the bearing support 24.

'I'he sealing ringsfI, I9 and 26 respectively in 40 the three forms of the seal as illustrated all function to minimize the passage of oil from the bearing along the shaft by ilrnily engaging the rotating bearing races. Thering-shaped dia.- \phragms 9, I8 and 25 seryeto span the space 4. :between' the sealing rings and the seal housings- `which tightly fit within the bearing supports.

In the operation of any of the forms illustrated, the sealing rings, such'as-theelement I in Fig. 1, make annular and axial contact with a. relatively rotating part and this contact is -maintained, irrespective of wear, by the compression springs; and the resilient diaphragms/such as 9 in Fig. ,1, being flexible, close the space between the sealing rings and the seal housings irrespec- 55 tive of change in relative position thereo! due Y tofwear.

marginal ange in engagement with the axial]v portion oi' said shell, a at clamping ring ynested within said diaphragm and the outer margin thereof to muy holdum same 'amm the radial ilange-like portion of said shell, .said

axially extending portion of said shell togetherwith the axially extending ilange of said ,dia-

phragm being turned inwardly over thev outermargin of said clamping ring to secure the same;j ing ring. and means to clamp the inner margin oi said diaphragmtosai'dsealingring.v

y ao'mesi 2. As an article of manufacture a unitary eartrld type oil seal comprising a cupped annular Y shell having an axially extending portion and an inwardly extending shoulder portion, a sealing ring disposed eoncentrically within said 'shell andhaving anaxially iacingbearingsurfaoe, a flexible radially extending ring-like diaphragm having an axially extending'iiange on its outer `xna'i'gimsltid diaphragmbeingnestedinsaidshell with its outer margin in. engagement with the shoulder portion of said shell and its marginal nangeinengagementwiththeaxialporticnof 'saidshell,ailatclampingringnestedwithinsaid .diaphragmandengagingtheoutermarginthereof toiiatly holdV the same against the shoulder o! nid shell. said axially extending portion .of said, shell-together with the axially extedingiiangeofsaiddiaphragmbeingtmned inwardlyover the outer margin o! said clamping ringto secure the same. and vmeaux. to clamp theinnermarginotsaiddiaphragmtolaidseal- Ram J. ons. 

